Chinese study - Wuhan's new corona inpatients - 76% had sequelae 6 months after infection

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

武漢の新型コロナ入院患者、感染から半年後も７６％に後遺症　中国研究

2021.01.12 Tue posted at 10:54 JST

（ＣＮＮ） 新型コロナウイルスの感染拡大が最初に起きた中国の武漢で、入院した患者の大部分が感染から半年経過した後も疲労感や睡眠障害などの症状が続いているという調査結果を、中国の研究チームが発表した。

研究チームは武漢で新型コロナウイルス感染症のため入院した患者１７００人以上を調査した。その結果、７６％は退院から数カ月たった後も症状が続いていることが分かった。

今回の調査結果は、患者がたとえ新型コロナウイルス感染症から回復したとしても、長期にわたる後遺症に見舞われる可能性があることを示唆している。新型コロナウイルスの感染者は世界で９０００万人を超す。

論文は８日の英医学誌ランセットに掲載された。新型コロナウイルス感染症患者の後遺症は疲労感が６３％で最も多く、次いで睡眠障害の２６％だった。

精神症状に苦しむ人も多く、２３％は不安やうつを訴えていた。重症化した患者は、Ｘ線検査で肺の損傷が継続して認められる傾向があった。

調査対象とした患者の年齢の中央値は５７歳。全員が昨年１月７日～５月２９日の間に、武漢の金銀潭医院を退院した。研究チームはこの期間に退院した患者のうち、死亡したり、重度の精神的・身体的症状が原因で協力できなかったり、協力を拒んだりした人を除く７０％を対象に、面接調査や身体検査、血液検査を実施した。

研究チームを率いる中日友好病院と首都医科大学の医師は、「新型コロナウイルス感染症は新しい疾患なので、患者の健康に及ぼす長期的な影響についてはまだ理解し始めたばかりだ」と述べ、退院後の患者の診療の必要性や、長期的な追跡調査の重要性を指摘している。

Translation

(CNN) In Wuhan, China, where the infection of the new coronavirus first occurred, a report done by a Chinese research team announced that most of the hospitalized patients continued to have symptoms such as fatigue and sleeping disorders six months after the infection.

The research team surveyed more than 1,700 patients hospitalized in Wuhan for coronavirus infection. As a result, it was found that 76% of the patients had symptoms even several months after discharge.

The findings suggested that patients could have long-term sequelae, even if they recover from the new coronavirus infection. More than 90 million people had been infected with the new coronavirus worldwide.

This treatise was published in the English medical journal The Lancet on the 8th. On the sequelae of coronavirus infection patients, 63% were feeling tired that stood as the most common, followed by sleeping disorders at 26%.

Many suffered from psychiatric symptoms, with 23% complaining about anxiety and depression. Patients with severe illness tended to show a continuing lung damage when examined by x-rays.

The median age of the patients surveyed was 57 years. All of them were discharged from Wuhan's Jinyintan Clinic between January 7th and May 29th last year. The research team conducted interviews, physical examinations and blood tests on 70% of patients who were discharged during this period, after excluding those who died, or were unable to cooperate due to severe mental or physical symptoms, or refused to cooperate.

Doctors at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital and the Capital Medical University who lead the research team said "because the new coronavirus infection is a new disease, we are just beginning to understand its long-term effects on patient’s health". He points out the need for medical care for patients after being discharged, and the importance of long-term follow-up investigation.

              So, this report is important in pointing out that the discharged patients could still be affected by the sequelae of coronavirus infection.